This past week I spent several days in Chicago. While my DH sat in conference sessions all day, I wandered the streets of Chicago doing research for a book. My adventures took me to the Chicago History Museum, the Navy Pier, and the Art Institute of Chicago.

I’d been to the Navy Pier before, so I came prepared with my camera. If you’ve never been to the Pier, you may not know that one of the best attractions is the Smith Museum of Stained Glass. On display are gorgeous examples of some of the finest stained glass ever made. Here are just two examples.

I love the vibrant colors and natural arrangement of the leaves and flowers. I will definitely find a way to put stained glass into the book I set in Chicago.

Please leave a comment and let me know about your vacation.

ABOUT RUE: Author of historical, contemporary, and erotic romances, Rue Allyn fell in love with happily ever after the day she heard her first story. She is deliriously married to her sweetheart of many years and loves to hear from readers about their favorite books and real life adventures. Learn more about Rue and her books at http://RueAllyn.com.
Her latest release, One Night’s Desireis available from Amazon and other e-tailers. Isn’t the cover lovely? Check out the following blurb, with following excerpt and buy links

One Night’s DesireBlurb:A WOMAN ON THE RUN: Rustlers, claim jumpers and fire, nothing will stop Kiera Alden from reuniting her family. But an accusation of murder threatens her dreams and sets Marshall Evrett Quinn on her trail. She may be able to escape prison bars and eventually prove her innocence, but she can’t escape Quinn’s love.

A LAWMAN IN HOT PURSUIT: Marshall Evrett Quinn is relentless in pursuit of law-breakers, and pretty Kiera Alden is no exception. Clever and courageous, she evades him until a chance encounter turns the tables. Finally he has this elusive desperado under arrest, but success is bittersweet when she captures his heart.

Madame Allyn claims I am a villainous. While my actions do appear to be evil, I have my reasons. Some of you might say that my actions are indefensible. I peddle flesh for a living; I’ve killed, whored, lied, cheated, abused children, bought and sold lives. If there is a sin in the world I’ve probably committed it. So why should I bother trying to defend myself to anyone. Because I’m a mother. My daughter doesn’t know about all the crimes I’ve committed, the people I’ve victimized, and I intend to keep it that way.

I want you to understand that I was born a slave in New Orleans, bred specifically by my owner to be a whore—a plaything for rich white men. I was educated by tutors and could hold my own in conversation with any man. Hell, I could think circles around most of them. It didn’t take me long to become bitter about my lot in life. After that I plotted my escape to San Francisco. The gold rush was on and the California territory was a ‘free’ territory. Once I got there, I realized that the greatest profit would be made by those who sold goods and services to the fools searching for gold. I had only one asset and one skill, so I used my body to get the money to be able to set up a high class bordello which gained me even more money. I admit that I sank to the depths of depravity in every way except as a mother. It broke my heart to send my baby daughter, Independence away to live with my mother. As soon as possible after the war of rebellion, I sent Independence to an exclusive school in New Jersey and provided excellent guardians for her in my will. She will never know who her mother is, but she will also never know slavery or poverty. She is my reason for every action I take, and I offer a mother’s love in defense of those actions.

Two Chances to Win a Free Download of One Night’s Desire.

Leave a comment about this post, the representation of African Americans in historical romance fiction, or any topic you prefer.

If you’d like to know more about One Night’s Desire here’s the blurb followed by a link to an excerpt.

A WOMAN ON THE RUN: Rustlers, claim jumpers and fire, nothing will stop Kiera Alden from reuniting her family. But an accusation of murder threatens her dreams and sets Marshall Evrett Quinn on her trail. She may be able to escape prison bars and eventually prove her innocence, but she can’t escape Quinn’s love.

A LAWMAN IN HOT PURSUIT: Marshall Evrett Quinn is relentless in pursuit of law-breakers, and pretty Kiera Alden is no exception. Clever and courageous, she evades him until a chance encounter turns the tables. Finally he has this elusive desperado under arrest, but success is bittersweet when she captures his heart.

ABOUT RUE: Author of historical, contemporary, and erotic romances, Rue Allyn fell in love with happily ever after the day she heard her first story. She is deliriously married to her sweetheart of many years and loves to hear from readers about their favorite books and real life adventures. Learn more about Rue and her books at http://RueAllyn.com

First things first: HOW TO WIN ~ For a chance to win a Ghirardelli chocolate gift card read the post then answer the following question in the comments section. Everyone who comments will be entered into a drawing for the gift card. The winner will be announced here on July 29, 2013. Make sure you complete the entry form on the Grand Tour home page so you can move to the next post, just click here or on the Grand Tour Logo at the right.

NOW ABOUT COURTINGDating and courting rituals in the American west during 1870 varied greatly depending on the particular community involved. San Francisco, despite its wild growth during the gold rush years had developed a core of decent citizens with strong family units. Among those citizens courting was a formal, highly chaperoned process. Parents had a great deal of say in where their daughters went and who could escort them. Rides both in carriages and on horseback in the countryside were possible. Night time forays into the Barbary Coast were not.

Yet that’s what happens to Dutch and Edith of One Moment’s pleasure. Edith is a stranger to San Francisco and without friends or family in the city. Dutch, whose protective instincts are roused, tries to convince her that going out on her own at night is a bad idea, so he takes her on horseback to the worst sections of the Barbary Coast. Lucky for them both they are able to return home without being assaulted (although Dutch does have to rescue some kittens before Edith is convinced he’s right).

Between the settled communities in the mid-west and San Francisco lay vast tracts of ‘unsettled’ territory. The coming of the railroad would change all of that, but in 1870 the transcontinental railway was just beginning to exert its influence. A woman alone in the wilderness had to set her own courtship rules. In One Night’s Desire, Kiera Alden is the one who seduces upright preacher’s kid Marshal Evrett Quinn. She uses a small injury and a healing hot spring to get the job done. Of course, Ev was already half in love with her, or he never would have yielded to temptation. Good thing he did or their story might have ended very differently.

SCAVENGER HUNT QUESTION:Which couple had a date in the Barbary Coast district of San Francisco and which couple courted in a hotspring?

If you’d like to know more about One Moment’s Pleasure ~ Wildfire Love # 1 andOne Night’s Desire ~ Wildfire Love # 2here are blurbs for each followed by excerpt links.

One Moment’s Pleasure Blurb:

One Moment’s Pleasure will become a lifetime’s passion when spinster, Edith Alden, embarks on a search for her missing sister. Pretending to be a rich bored woman looking for an interlude with an anonymous male Edith enters the San Francisco bordello where her sister was last seen. She escapes the bordello almost too easily, but she can’t escape the passion ignited by a stranger’s kiss.

Born and raised in the brothels of the California gold rush, Dutch Trahern worked for years to erase a childhood spent committing petty crimes and worse in order to survive. That past comes back to haunt him in the form of a woman he rescues from prostitution. Now his hard won respectability is threatened by an irresistible desire for a woman he shouldn’t want.

One Night’s Desire Blurb:

A WOMAN ON THE RUN: Rustlers, claim jumpers and fire, nothing will stop Kiera Alden from reuniting her family. But an accusation of murder threatens her dreams and sets Marshall Evrett Quinn on her trail. She may be able to escape prison bars and eventually prove her innocence, but she can’t escape Quinn’s love.

A LAWMAN IN HOT PURSUIT: Marshall Evrett Quinn is relentless in pursuit of law-breakers, and pretty Kiera Alden is no exception. Clever and courageous, she evades him until a chance encounter turns the tables. Finally he has this elusive desperado under arrest, but success is bittersweet when she captures his heart.

ABOUT RUE: Author of historical, contemporary, and erotic romances, Rue Allyn fell in love with happily ever after the day she heard her first story. She is deliriously married to her sweetheart of many years and loves to hear from readers about their favorite books and real life adventures. Learn more about Rue and her books at http://RueAllyn.com.

Hi there. I’m here today at Mrs. Rue Allyn’s invitation to set the record straight. I’m sure she’d really like it if I disputed something Marshal Evrett Quinn stated when he visited a few days ago. Problem is that I don’t disagree with Ev on much anymore. Not since we got those ridiculous criminal charges dismissed. We even resolved our problems about settling down. However, I do want to correct a couple of mis-conceptions, mostly about my friends the Wind River Shoshone. See, everything that Mrs. Allyn wrote about the Wind River Shoshone is true for the unique group of Shoshone who became my friends. Even among the relatively small Wind River Nation there were, during the late 19th century, dialect and belief differences. Since my friends were the only Shoshone I actually knew, those were the only ones Mrs. Allyn could write about. She did her very best to represent them and their nation with respect. If she erred, well, please don’t blame her, blame her source—me.*

*In Kiera’s defense (she is after all a fictional character), I did quite a bit of on-line and primary text research. My one regret is that I was unable to make contact with any member of the Wind River Shoshone nation to verify my research and my conclusions. Thank heaven, I’m writing fiction and not history.

Two Chances to Win a Free Download of One Night’s Desire.
1. Leave a comment about this post, the Native American Nations, or any topic you prefer.

I’ll be collecting entries throughout the entire One Night’s Desirerelease tour (June 13 – July 29—find the schedule of appearances at http://rueallyn.com/4News.html). The winner will be announced July 31st on my blog http://rueallynauthorblog.com/. If you’d like to know more about One Night’s Desirehere’s the blurb followed by a link to an excerpt.

A WOMAN ON THE RUN: Rustlers, claim jumpers and fire, nothing will stop Kiera Alden from reuniting her family. But an accusation of murder threatens her dreams and sets Marshall Evrett Quinn on her trail. She may be able to escape prison bars and eventually prove her innocence, but she can’t escape Quinn’s love.

A LAWMAN IN HOT PURSUIT: Marshall Evrett Quinn is relentless in pursuit of law-breakers, and pretty Kiera Alden is no exception. Clever and courageous, she evades him until a chance encounter turns the tables. Finally he has this elusive desperado under arrest, but success is bittersweet when she captures his heart.

ABOUT RUE: Author of historical, contemporary, and erotic romances, Rue Allyn fell in love with happily ever after the day she heard her first story. She is deliriously married to her sweetheart of many years and loves to hear from readers about their favorite books and real life adventures. Learn more about Rue and her books at http://RueAllyn.com

Miz Allyn wants me to talk to you about this book she wrote telling the story of how Kiera Alden and I met and fell in love. Since she—Miz Allyn that is—invited me here, I prob’ly should do that, but honest, I don’t see the point. There’s this little thing Miz Allyn posted, called a blurb that summarizes the story, and she’s got an excerpt for you to look at too, so I’m not wastin’ time or breath on something you can already get real easy. ‘Sides, the beginning of that book is just a touch embarrassing for me. I mean what man, let alone a lawman, wants to admit that a female desperado got the best of him, even for a little while. Well now I’ve gone and said too much about that dang book.

What I really want to talk to you about is the US Marshal Service. Most of you know that US Marshals are part of the Justice Department established in 1870, but the Marshals have been in existence for decades longer. The service was originally created in 1789 and is the oldest Federal law enforcement agency. We Marshals have a storied past. I’m sure you’ve heard of men like Virgil Earp, William Wagner, and David Lenox. We’ve played a big part in our country’s history too. We enforce laws (good and bad), assist in executions, prisoner transfers, investigate counterfeiting crimes, and pursue fugitives from justice. While we have to be ready to risk our lives at any moment, most of the time our jobs are pretty dull. I spend a lot of time in the saddle. Which isn’t all bad. I get to see some of the prettiest country and meet some of the most interesting folks. If you’d like to know more you can check out these resources:

Thank you Evrett. Friends, what Evrett did not tell you (probably because he doesn’t get the internet) is that One Night’s Desire and its sister bookOne Moment’s Pleasureare heavily discounted at Amazon for the entire month of July. If you’d like to know more about One Night’s Desirehere’s the blurb followed by a link to an excerpt.

Two Chances to Win a Free Download of One Night’s Desire. Leave a comment about this post, the US Marshal Service, or any topic you prefer.

ABOUT RUE: Author of historical, contemporary, and erotic romances, Rue Allyn fell in love with happily ever after the day she heard her first story. She is deliriously married to her sweetheart of many years and loves to hear from readers about their favorite books and real life adventures. Learn more about Rue and her books at http://RueAllyn.com

Hi. I’m Susa (aka Susannah O’Neal). I’m seven years old and I live in Phoenix Arizona. I’ve never been on a blog before, but it sounds neat, and Mom gave me permission, so here I am. I’m supposed to tell you about my parents and the book that Mrs. Allyn wrote about them. But I think that’s kinda old—if you know what I mean. I mean who wants to talk about some fusty old book about my parents. Although my mom is great and my dad is the coolest. When I grow up I’m gonna marry a man just like him. He really understands—He gave me this really cool doll (see the picture!). But I’m still a little bit mad at him. He didn’t live with us until now and he almost left us. Mommy was gonna let him leave, but I convinced him, and he’s staying ‘cuz he loves me and Mommy a whole lot.

Did I do all right, Mrs. Allyn? I didn’t talk about the book very much, but I did talk about Mom and Dad.You did Just fine, sweetie. Thanks for visiting with us.

Great. I’m gonna go see if Nancy can play ‘kay. Bye.

Kids. (Sigh.) Leave a comment and share your ‘weird’ kid story. Deal of a Lifetimeis available exclusively from Kindle Direct Publishing Select and from July 9 through 13 will be free. Since Susa chose not to talk about my old book, here’s a blurb followed by a link to an excerpt. Enjoy.

BLURB: A chance encounter at a business conference gives distribution mogul Connor O’Neal the opportunity to win back the only woman he’s ever loved—brilliant, beautiful Tamsin Donal. He pursues Tamsin like he does everything he wants, with a single-minded determination that allows for neither failure nor distractions. His passionate efforts to regain her love nearly convince Tamsin, but she has a secret that may keep them apart forever. Negotiating a true and lasting love won’t be easy for Connor and Tamsin. Each will have to sacrifice before they can close the Deal of a Lifetime.

ABOUT RUE: Author of historical, contemporary, and erotic romances, Rue Allyn fell in love with happily ever after the day she heard her first story. She is deliriously married to her sweetheart of many years and loves to hear from readers about their favorite books and real life adventures. Learn more about Rue and her books at http://RueAllyn.com

Like this:

Virgin sacrifice. Those words make you envision a woman chained and screaming, a horrible monster, a painful death. But what if that sacrifice was to the sexiest man alive, a virile god of fertility, one who made your body throb with want? What if that man looked like the man on the cover?

Would it really be a sacrifice with him? My heroine, Rayan, will learn that what she gives up to Vashon is nothing compared to the pleasure she reaps in return.

Multi-published author Shay Lacy lives in northwest Ohio with her photographer/graphic designer husband. She loves following the man of her dreams with a camera in hand and a pen and notebook in her backpack. Sensible secretary by day, romance author by night, when not lost in her imagination, or reading a good book, she is likely researching her next book with a SWAT team ride-along or a visit to a DNA lab. Find out more about Sacrificed to Ecstasy and Shay Lacy at http://www.shaylacy.com/blog and http://www.ellorascave.com/sacrificed-to-ecstasy.html.